Spring of Drowned Hero
by metroanime
Summary: an idea fleshed out as the first chapter of a series. Another author has taken over, last i heard.
1. Default Chapter Title

another The Bet fic, you have been warned...  
there were enough reactions to this snippet to flesh it out a bit...

genius_20@hotmail.com took this over, but it's been almost a year since i saw anything. Hence putting this slight revision up. The only thing i have seen is it's inclusion in Skysaber's _Mirrors Multiplied_. Arigato, Skysaber-san!

_disclaimer: _char tm R.Takahashi, Marvel comics, Gainax, & a lot of other people. only the fanfic treatment can be blamed on Metroanime@mindspring.com

**SPRING OF DROWNED HERO?**

The abandoned timeline was the result of a cheat, a cheat from a deity that had "dirty tricks" in his listed portfolio.

Would it really surprise anyone who knew either of the tricksters involved, if one of these timelines lasted just a bit longer than would be expected normally?

* * *

He was a Chinese villain, he was powerful, and he was more than a little schizoid. He had known of Jusenkyo, Phoenix Mountain, the Musk Dynasty, and even the Nichieju for quite some time. And while he might be a supervillain, he *was* capable of learning.

Why conquer the United States when there was an unexploited power base MUCH closer to home? His new advisor was proving his worth, and was quite easy to pay off.

The first stage was vengeance, but would also lay the groundwork for further actions. Seperation of some of his key opponents from their groups weakened those groups. Then, when his work here was done, he could strike out from an improved power base against those weakened groups.

The nature of Jusenkyo caused it to pull the unique to the region and thence into their depths, to drown them and form the template that would be part of the Jusenkyo curse. Even a duck could drown, given the nature of the magic of Jusenkyo.

The Hulk had been the first, the strongest of his many foes. Despite his rage and power, he had proven unable to escape the magic of Jusenkyo.

Others had followed, and now had perished the one that the Mandarin had most admired and also had hated. Admired because the individual had no superhuman powers as such, but would always find a way to win despite the odds. Hated because he was a symbol of a foreign power, a foreign power that had been party to the opium trade that had led to the Boxer Rebellion and thence to the falsely named People's Revolution.

The Mandarin had no problem with the concept of respecting an enemy. It was easy to underestimate this old soldier, but he'd win if you played that game. Only by keeping his new ally a secret and in reserve had he at last tricked the soldier into entering Jusenkyo.

Which to conquer first? The Musk were heavily depleted, though their leader was quite powerful by all accounts. The forces of Phoenix Mountain would be difficult to conquer but also the most rewarding when it was done. The Nichieju Amazons would fight him tooth and nail.

"You could ally yourself with the Musk," suggested the Mandarin's advisor. "They could be betrayed later and have the most reason to hate the Amazons. With both of their powerbases in your control, you could then turn your attention to those of the Mountain."

"You reason well," the Mandarin admitted. "Very well, and your reward will be great if you do as I direct."

Happosai tapped the explosive collar around his neck. "I don't suppose removing this will fall into that reward?"

"Eventually, perhaps."

* * *

"NO!" Ranma sailed away from the panda, heading down to a rendevous with a spring. Alternating sensations of hot and cold flashed through his body as he hit the bottom and looked up at the sparkling surface above him.

A sensation besides that of the hot/cold flaring penetrated. Something hard was lying beneath him. On an impulse, Ranma grabbed the object, and pried it loose from the surrounding mud. A moment later he broke the surface.

"A shield?" An odd circular design with a star in the center. He noted how incredibly light the object was and pushed a length of blonde hair away from his face.

Ranma froze for a moment then grabbed a strand of hair to examine it. _Blonde?_

"Oh, too bad sir, you fall in Spring Of... Drowned...Girl?" The Guide blinked. The pool was steaming? Sir was still a sir? The Guide looked over the figure stepping out of the pool and decided that he might want to take a dip later.

"Oyaji?" Ranma looked over at the panda. "What have you done NOW!?"

* * *

Genma in his panda form had worked up quite an appetite running away from Ranma. His son was a LOT faster, a better acrobat than ever, and had a longer reach. Genma, on the other hand, had a lot more experience running away and hiding. Upon seeing a burbling in one spring, he approached. Maybe it was something good to eat?

The water exploded upwards, revealing a green humanoid figure nine feet in height, and was composed largely of bulging muscles.

This huge figure looked at the panda, whose eyes had gone to the size of dinner plates upon seeing this mammoth figure appear out of nowhere.

"Ryouga....SMASH!" Ryouga's fist struck the ground where a panda had stood just a moment ago, causing a large number of bamboo poles to fall out of a large number of springs.

Pandas are not known for great speed. One was currently making a best effort to set a new speed record for the species.

Behind Genma, Ryouga looked at his green skin for a moment before howling his rage to the heavens. "RANMA! This your fault!"

Ryouga flexed his legs, leaping clear from the spring. Unfortunately (by his reckoning) this caused him to overshoot the panda by roughly four miles, at which point he was lost again.

* * *

"I don't understand this. Why is oyaji's curse so much different than mine? Cold water turns him into a panda, hot water turns him back to normal, while I can't change back." Ranma didn't mention the odd feelings and flashes of memories that weren't his own. He knew better than to expect sympathy or help from his father and his one talk with the Guide alone had revealed that the man knew very little about cures or why the Springs worked the way they did.

Not that it mattered. The Guide was not quite sure WHY this curse acted so differently, though he had noted that some of the pools only worked on ONE individual at a time. As long as someone was cursed and alive by these springs, they would not work that way on another. It was believed that the large green fellow who had jumped out of Jusenkyo was from one of the other pools like that.

"Sirs be very careful here. Today is fighting tournament. Is only time that outsiders allowed into village area since conquerer come many year ago."

Ranma's blue eyes scanned the crowds. "I hope they've got some bigger clothes I can buy. My regular clothes are way too damn tight."

"Growf?!" The panda made a beeline for a certain table.

Ranma started towards the pile of food but then shook his head. No, that was too much like stealing. It wouldn't be right for him to do that. Besides, those looked like food booths over there.

The girls fighting on the log finished, and Ranma finished analyzing the fighting styles involved. He frowned as he realized that he had done so far more quickly than he had before he had fallen into that spring. What kind of monster was he becoming?

"_HEY YOU! Why do you let your panda eat the prize!_" Shampoo stalked up and looked over the stranger. She wasn't NEARLY as angry as she was acting though. The thought running through her head was that she was being denied one feast but had a MUCH tastier one in her sights. And it would last longer too. She licked her lips as she studied the form before her._ Oh YEAH. _

Ranma blinked as the Guide translated. A surge of the old confident Ranma bubbled up from the confusion. With a glare at his father, he challenged the girl. What he couldn't understand was why this girl immediately did a cartwheel and sounded so happy about it.

Shampoo smirked as she got to her end of the log. This male would be defeated, and she would have him...work off...the debt to her. After the past few days, she felt she DESERVED a reward, and here the Heavens had provided. A pity he was too big and muscular to be fast, as if he had been a true martial artist, this could have been amusing.

It didn't quite work out that way. 

Shampoo ran forward, twin maces held ready. Ranma ducked, spun, and an Amazon girl went flying.

"_Great grandma?_" Shampoo was wondering why the Elder was performing the Splitting Cat Hairs technique. Then she realized the entire village was doing it. "_Oh, I __really__ don't feel too good right now._"

"_Lie down and listen, Shampoo. The 'Master' and his pet have arrived, so this is mainly for their benefit._" Cologne stepped back and raised her voice, which caused Shampoo to wince with every word. "_My great-granddaughter has been defeated by an outsider male who has fled the village. In accordance with ancient Amazon Law, Shampoo will now pursue that male and give him the Kiss Of Marriage so that he can be inducted into the tribe. All is in accordance with the ancient laws as allowed us by the Mandarin._"

Happosai turned his attention to his Master, the Master who allowed him to...indulge many of his tastes. Happosai no longer wore the collar. It wasn't necessary anymore. "Are you sure about this?"

Forgetting the lesson learned long ago, the Mandarin nodded. "It is Phoenix Mountain and its secrets that concern me. Besides, it is only one Amazon, and it is only one man. Let them have their hope, the more amusing when it is crushed."

* * *

"So, oyaji, this is the place?" Ranma settled his new clothes around himself and still tried to get used to his new height and mass. It was alarming that he *still* seemed to be increasing in size. He had passed 6'0" and had more than doubled his mass since being cursed. "Tendo Anything Goes dojo, to challenge the dojo use rear entry and ring bell?"

[This is the place.] A sign popped up. [We can rest here.] Genma silently added that until Ranma stopped acting so weird, or could get rid of this bizarre curse, he couldn't go face Nodoka, or...gulp...the katana.

"Well, let's go then." Ranma stopped. "Oyaji, if I find out that this 'honor pledge' was you and your buddy sitting in a bar one night..."

[No, nothing like that!] The panda tried to hide that he was sweating. When had Ranma gotten observant?!

* * *

Marller was walking the streets of Dis, a large city in Hel. She wasn't expecting the snowball that knocked her over. 

* * *

Nabiki walked out the door, took a long look at this powerfully built blonde gaijin and decided that her father was MUCH more well travelled than she had thought.

"Hi there! Are you Ranma?" Nabiki grinned and looked down shyly. She heard American men liked that sort of thing. She was very glad that she was wearing a kimono that flattered her to the extent that this one did. Not that the traditionally minded Kasumi or the (are you sure you're not lesbian) Akane would be interested in this guy. That meant HER. Nabiki Tendo, most feared woman in Furinkan (other than Junko) who had a reputation as mercenary. (Junko, on the other hand, had a reputation that REALLY scared people.)

Nabiki blushed a little. She'd repeatedly gotten interested in guys, only to find they were after Akane, wanted to borrow money, or were just after her homework. In each case she'd had her revenge by then bleeding their finances dry. Nobody wanted her, and she'd envisaged a cold (but profitable) future for herself as a single businesswoman. Now Salvation had arrived, and he was a HUNK!

Nabiki suppressed the urge to climb to the peak of the roof, pull a megaphone out of nowhere and start proclaiming that at last Springtime had come for Nabiki Tendo. Too cliche, also a bit premature.

"Yes, may I come in?" Ranma blinked. Why was this girl turning all red and staring at the ground? Why was she grinning like that? Hmmm. Girls. One of those Great Mysteries that Pop had refused to speak of, other than to declaim them as weak and often mean. And to talk about the duties of the martial artist to protect them, but mainly he focussed on how weak though vindictive they could be.

"Oh...my." Kasumi stopped at the doorway. Though young, this Ranma wore an aura about him. Confident, strong, mature beyond his years. There was also a confused, frightened, look that briefly surfaced. Sure, he was a gaijin, but Kasumi had read about them. She'd have to determine which stories were true. Some couldn't be true, as he *could* apparently speak Japanese quite well.

"Saotome?" Soun looked around. There was just this gaijin weightlifter (too muscular to be a proper martial artist) and a panda. Where was his old buddy Genma?

"How depressing, a ...boy?" Akane stuck her head out the door, and immediately went into the "bird frozen by the gaze of the snake" impression. "Dad, you didn't tell me you knew any Americans." He had to be an American, he was tall, blonde and blue-eyed. All Americans were tall, blonde, and blue-eyed. Well, except for some of their movie stars.(1)

"I'm Ranma Saotome," Ranma repeated. "May I come in?"

"Certainly," Kasumi bowed slightly and stepped to the side, unblocking the door. She'd have to tell him to leave the shoes at the entry, though he spoke Japanese well there was no telling how many customs he hadn't learned of.

Akane came out and began trying to remember something of her English classes. What would she have to tell this boy so that he didn't commit too many faux pas?

Nabiki latched herself onto an arm. He was tall, muscular, and since he was American that meant he didn't have any of those traditional Japanese ideas as to what a wife/girlfriend was allowed to do. Having decided that she wanted this, Nabiki then proceeded to secure, mark, and defend her property. "Gee, Daddy, you know this doesn't seem like a bad idea after all."

Akane decided to practice her English on the stranger. He spoke Japanese without a trace of an accent, but she could see where having someone to practice on would give her English test scores a boost. Besides, an American couldn't possibly understand all the Japanese customs. She'd have to help steer him away from some of those problems. She remembered some of the sample dialogues. They should be OK. "_What kind of credit cards do you accept?_"

"Dinner will be ready shortly," Kasumi said as Ranma passed her, a slight blush coming to her cheeks as she noticed the way the slightly tight pants rode on the younger boy. She was nineteen, after all, and not above noticing a well-tuned male form. Though American men were supposedly all idiotic sex-crazed maniacs with power tool fixations. She'd have to hide the power tools.

_"-The pencil is yellow.-"_

Nabiki was busy getting in the way of Akane, who kept trying to throw a few English phrases in Ranma's direction. Akane hated boys, why was she trying to talk to HER Ranma? She didn't want this to be ANOTHER boy she was interested in to end up being part of her sister's fan club.

"_I trip you had a hope nice, Mister Ranma._" Akane had given up on the "sample dialogues" as she couldn't think of one that had a practical use. "_Home you shoes before enter doorway remove._"

Ranma wondered what the girl in the yellow gi was talking about. The words were familiar but the sentences didn't make any sense. "Huh?"

"Maybe I should ask him to spar," Akane mused in Japanese. If he had spent years training in the art, he might be pretty good at it. This would be a much more serious test of her skills than the schoolyard brawl.

"Maybe you shouldn't," shot back Nabiki, leading Ranma inside. "I'm sure Ranma would welcome the chance to relax a little." Nabiki thought about toweling off those broad shoulders, running her hands along the obviously firm musculature, and smiled. Then she started thinking about introducing the American to Japanese bathing customs. It would only be proper for his fiancee to scrub his back, right?

Soun frowned and ignored the bizarre sound of Nabiki giggling. "How did Genma...why that sly dog." Soun looked over at the panda. "He married Nodoka, but had a child by some American? Why that..."

The panda was shaking his head wildly and pulled out a sign. [That's not it!]

"He always was popular with the ladies, that Genma. So he's branched out to foreigners..."

[You've got the wrong idea!] The panda spun the sign around. [Well, I AM rather popular with the ladies, aren't I?]

"And he's gotten braver, considering that his wife has that katana. Kind of admirable at his age."

[Well, I wouldn't do anything like that very often.] The panda seemed to be thinking about something. [Though I do remember there was a time...]

Soun continued to ignore the signs and entered his home, closing the door behind him. The panda waited a few minutes, then decided to go around back. He really wanted to find some hot water.

* * *

"So, Ranma, I don't understand all this about your curse, but it doesn't seem so bad. Certainly not like your father's curse, at least." Soun smiled. Nabiki had all but grafted herself to his arm. While Akane still protested the whole concept of an arranged marriage, Kasumi was getting the formal tea set out.

Nor did the Tendo patriarch miss the way Kasumi's gaze lingered over the boy's tight clothing. It was quite obvious that Ranma's clothes would need letting out, and there was Kasumi already measuring up the boy for a new pair of pants. How efficient of her!

"I am a little concerned, however. You seem more like a weightlifter than a regular martial artist, and (ahem) I must confess that I hadn't expected Genma's son to be... blonde."

Akane pounced on the opportunity. This boy had been practicing martial arts all his life? All the better for a sparring partner. No way he could be in her class, of course. "Say, Ranma, I'm sure Dad's concerns about your martial arts will be satisfied by a little match."

"A little match? Well, I suppose some friendly sparring wouldn't be so bad." Ranma glanced to the short-haired girl holding onto his arm. If he'd encountered hostility, he'd have been prepared to return it, but this was... a little freaky but certainly not hostile. It was kinda nice, actually.

Nabiki glared at her sister. She was comfortable. If she'd been a cat, she'd have been purring. Right in the middle of her fantasy about being a fashion photographer, directing her husband/subject through a number of poses (and getting additional enjoyment from the feeling of control) when her sister has to go butting in. 

Genma shrugged and turned back to his sake. Just the thought of coming back home and trying to pass Ranma off to Nodoka, was enough for Genma to reach for the bottle. Never mind using those little boxes or a shallow dish, this was a "go straight to the damn bottle" mood. Nodoka would NEVER believe this was her son. She *might* accept that this was Genma's son, but would likely come to the same conclusion that Soun had. Born "on the wrong side of the sheets" they called it.

The problem, Genma reflected, was that he didn't know *what* Nodoka's reaction to the concept would be. Almost any other woman would be major league PO'ed. Nodoka had some weird ideas about manliness, and could simply see an "affair with issue" as further proof of Genma's own manliness. Therefore, she'd scold him but secretly be proud of him. Or, she could become really ticked. So, Genma took another long pull from the bottle, and tried to figure out whether or not to push for the marriage now. 

Kasumi sighed as the others filed out. So much for doing this properly. She started putting away the tea things, since one question would typically lead to another. To do it properly, the tea ceremony took a bit of time anyway.

Ranma got to the dojo and quickly stretched himself loose. He found Nabiki's obvious attraction to be nice if a bit unsettling. Now this girl was facing him as if she wanted to prove something.

Ranma moved around her punches, listening to the "little voice" within. It was a new thing, but the advice had been mainly good so far, so he listened. It told him that this Akane had talent but little skill, as if she were largely self-taught. When her face began to slide towards anger, the voice advised him on a way to defuse a potential hazard with his sister-in-law.

As Akane lost her temper at this boy who was dodging everything she threw at him, he moved. Akane jumped over the legsweep, recognizing it as a feint a moment too late.

The real attack was Ranma's forearm, shoving down as Ranma rotated and shifted. Akane saw the floor approaching, knowing that Ranma's weight was largely shifted onto her and that she would hit the wooden slats with a considerable impact. She eeeped involuntarily.

Ranma shifted his weight again slightly as he felt Akane tense. Now she impacted the floor softly, and he merely pinned her with his hand in the collar of her gi. 

"Good enough," allowed Soun, ignoring the little "rising sun" fans that Nabiki was waving around in victory. He was a little unhappy about Akane being tossed around like that, but it was a suitable test.

Nabiki was happy. Her fiance could fight. Not only that, but Akane had been defeated so any chance of her sister getting interested in this guy had been defused. Akane was very prideful and anyone showing her up would be resented. Victory!

Ranma held a hand out for Akane. "You've got a lot of talent, Akane. Though whoever's training you has left a few holes."

"What does THAT crack mean?" Akane glared up at the boy. Stupid gaijin! Didn't he know he wasn't supposed to be able to move that mass of his around that quickly?

"Well, since I'm going to be engaged to your sister, and you've got talent, how about I take over your training so we can patch those holes in your defense?"

Akane lost her anger as if a switch had been thrown. This boy was admitting she had talent? And he was offering to further her training? And he wasn't going to be a lech and start hitting on her? And he was offering to further her training? He agreed that she had talent, and that he wanted to improve her skills? "Training?! You're offering to train me further in Anything Goes?"

"Well, yeah." Ranma tugged his ponytail in an unconscious gesture. "What you think, oyaji? You're the training expert after yanking me around for ten years. What to start her with, blocks or control?"

Genma was so startled he almost dropped the bottle. His son, deferring to his greater experience in something? The poor boy's curse was obviously making him... Well, maybe this wasn't so bad after all. Genma pulled himself together as he noted everyone looking at him. "Errr. Endurance was actually what I was thinking would be the first priority. Possibly agility after that."

Akane's eyes were shining. Ranma was clearly a better martial artist than she was, and here she was about to get additional training to become an even BETTER martial artist herself! Her father had neglected her training for years, leaving Akane to try and master the Art on her own. Now she could get Master level training. Ah, bliss!

Akane blinked as she caught Nabiki glaring at her. What was Nabiki's problem, anyway?

* * *

Happosai chuckled and ran his hands through his current haul of silky darlings. 

That half blind youth, Mousse, was the perfect one to keep an eye on that Shampoo girl. She would fail to bring back a husband, and once suitably "broken" would marry Mousse or anyone else they chose for her. 

To make Shampoo his own, Mousse would do anything. Once Shampoo had been sufficiently humbled and made pliant, the girl would be a perfect reward for service to the Mandarin. Then Shampoo's continued well being would be a yoke to keep the young man in line. Mousse's skills with Hidden Weapons made him an excellent smuggler-agent.

Happosai leaned back. Yes, service for the Mandarin carried risks and benefits aplenty. Many of the Mandarin's agents, like Dowel and Cabinet, had the shiny new energy weapons. Who needed chi attacks when the simple tug of a finger unleashed bolts of energy that ran hotter than any conventional flame? Continuing to be of service to the Mandarin saw similar rewards. If one was no longer of use to the Mandarin, then one might share the fate of the Musk.

The Musk had largely been slaughtered when the Mandarin had at last decided to betray them. 

The Musk Dynasty was now a scattered handful of refugees, with a few who had turned on their brethren now also minions of the Mandarin. There were others, slaves or worse. 

Happosai smirked. Some of the battle was still going on, but the idea had proven so delicious that others of the Musk had been similarly transformed and their minds would be unraveled. The Mandarin was clever, and had recruited several *very* talented allies. Those that couldn't be bribed, could be coerced, or they could be fitted with variations of the explosive collar. The mindwipe device was one of those crafted by someone "recruited" by such methods.

Happosai fingered a particular pair of panties and his smirk slipped into a slight frown. Parts of this still caused him some distress, but it was just *so* much fun. And after years of suffering for the Art, here he was enjoying the jackpot. That couldn't be bad, could it?

And his vengeance against Cologne would soon be complete. She would see her great-granddaughter transformed into a meek little wife, then undergo a similar transformation herself.

After all, it was Spring Of Drowned *Young* Girl.

* * *

Ranma sat down, relaxing in the furo and tried to just let go of his current load of worries. His father would start training Akane, then (after Ranma had settled in at school) Ranma could start actually training the girl himself. So much had changed, though, maybe he should wait until things had settled down before he took over the training. More was strange than just school.

The "little voice" had gotten stronger. It had started out as a whisper. Now when it "spoke" it seemed as if there was someone speaking directly to him except there were no words. Usually just pictures and concepts. It was odd, but if he mentioned it to Pops or anyone they'd just think he was nuts.

His height and mass were considerably increased. His skin was paler, his hair had turned blonde, and those eyes staring out from a vaguely familiar face were a shade of blue that didn't look at all familiar on a Japanese face.

His speed had slowed slightly, but Ranma was certain he could bring it back up again when he got used to the extra mass. Strength was up. Sense of balance increased. His spatial acuity increased. That wasn't as strange as what was going on inside the head though.

Ranma conceded that he'd never been exactly dumb. Pulled out of school more often than not, his attendance had been mainly conspicuous by absence. Nonetheless, he'd been able to keep the grades up a bit higher than abyssmal. Lotsa people *thought* he was dumb because his education had been kinda haphazard. There were a lot of gaps, and his father had always largely dismissed the value of a traditional Japanese education. 

Thing was, he noticed a lot more things going on around him now. He felt less dull somehow, as if he'd worn blinders all his life and they'd gradually come off over the past week. He noticed things like the way Nabiki had clung to his arm. He'd noticed the way that Nabiki kept trying to insert herself between her younger sister and himself. He didn't understand it, he merely noted it.

The eldest had smiled a lot but seemed nervous. She'd also gone around hiding tools. Ranma had absolutely NO idea what to make out of that. When he'd noticed an electric screwdriver had been left out, she'd rushed over and grabbed it before he could get anywhere near it. Weird.

The door opening ended Ranma's musing.

Akane looked in, her towel covering everything, and blinked. There was a few moments of silence, while Ranma wondered what the heck was going on. Had he forgotten to put the sign out? What was she staring at? She seemed to be staring right at... Ranma sunk as deep as the water would allow.

Akane blinked as line-of-sight was interrupted. She stepped back, sliding the door closed behind her. She blinked again. Akane let out a deep breath. 

"AKANE!"

Akane focussed again. Nabiki looked upset. Nabiki looked quite upset. Nabiki was pointing at the "Occupied" sign. "Uhm..."

"Don't 'uhm' me, Akane. You HATE boys, remember? They're all jerks and evil and mean and insensitive. Right?"

"Uhm. Yeah," Akane agreed. Why that lech! He'd... Well, actually he'd been averting his eyes most of the time. And looked acutely embarrassed. Hmm. "Sure. He's just another pervert, a boy."

Nabiki's frown intensified when she caught the lack of confidence. She nodded though, feeling this was about as far as she'd be able to get tonight.

"HEY!" Akane exclaimed, noticing something. "What are you doing with your bath things if you knew Ranma was in there?"

Nabiki had the grace to look embarassed.

* * *

Dawn at the Tendo residence. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Well, Kasumi was already up. And then there was the panda sneaking into Akane's room.

"Huh?" _Splash!_ "AAAAAAHHH! COLD!"

Nabiki grumbled a bit, pulled the pillow over her head, and tried to ignore the sounds of Akane's new training regimen.

"Mister Saotome?! Urrrrr. I'm gonna get you for _THWAK, Splash!_ HEY!"

Kasumi looked outside where Akane had just been slapped back into the pond by a sign wielded by a panda. "So energetic."

Ranma called down from the window. "He's trying to tell you to be on guard, and that an attack could come at any time. A martial artist needs to be ready instantly."

Akane sloshed herself out of the pond and glared at the panda.

[I thought I was going to be training a martial artist.] The panda flipped the sign around, part of the Genma Saotome school of motivation. Get them sufficiently ticked and they'll follow you to the Gates Of Hell. [You're too soft for my training. Go back to sleep.]

Akane blinked. Her pajama bottoms, weighted down by water, chose that moment to obey gravity's call. They hit the stones with exactly the sort of squelching noise you would expect from such an event.

"This is the part where you try to catch and hit him," Ranma called down helpfully.

"AAAARRRGGHHH!" Akane launched herself, five feet of feminine fury ready to explode on contact.

Genma leapt to the roof, then to another. From his vantage point he waved another sign. [Too slow. Too clumsy. Too wimpy.] Signed flipped. [Just a girl, after all.]

"W-wimpy?" Akane twitched. Her anger went into second gear. "Hmmmph. You call this training? Pretty stupid if you ask me."

"Maybe. But it's effective." Ranma tossed down a pajama bottom. "Here. I'll make sure the bath is hot. You'll need it later."

Akane stared at the pants for a moment before slipping them on. A *boy* was being thoughtful? Wasn't staring at her panties or something perverted. Too weird.

Akane's gaze tracked upward to where a bored-looking panda was waiting, waving around a sign that read [Maybe a training trip to Jusenkyo? Toss you into Spring Of Drowned Sloth?]

Akane smiled, tightened the drawstring, dusted her hands off lightly. Then screamed in rage and went to find a ladder. Why? Well, because she realized that this was expected of her and part of the training. Go with the flow. No pain, no gain. Nobody said it had to be *her* pain, though.

Nabiki rubbed sleep from her eyes and frowned some more. It was a perfectly normal morning expression for her. Nabiki was many things, but a morning person was not included in that list. What she was feeling was typical, though it didn't start so early.

Nabiki passed a happily humming Ranma as he prepared for school. Yeah, getting him a uniform that actually fit might be rather more difficult than getting him into school on short notice. 

Nabiki passed a happily humming Kasumi as the older girl was laying out breakfast. Nabiki could see where having people happily humming this early in the morning was going to get old REALLY fast. Then Nabiki stopped and looked at *what* Kasumi had laid out on the table. "Uhm, Kasumi, what's that?"

Kasumi blinked. "Oh, well I suspected Ranma might like a little taste of home. I hope I got it right."

Nabiki twitched a little. A little plate of hamburgers and french fries had been set aside. Everyone else got the traditional miso soup/rice combination. Ranma had what looked like a Happy Meal. Oh dear. 

Not all prejudice, reflected Nabiki, was couched in hate.

* * *

"Akane Tendo, I love you, this is for you!"

Ranma frowned. The words were a declaration of affection. The actions were most definitely not. "Excuse me, Nabiki."

Nabiki watched, frowning again, as Ranma rode to the rescue.

"HEY! This is *my* _Spinning Back Kick_ fight!"

"Does that mean you _Crescent Kick_ actually *like* _Block/Disarm_ fighting _Spinning Piledriver_ all these guys? It's _Forearm Smash_ some kinda _Tiger Paw_ extra training you've _Shoulder Throw_ come up _Flying Wedgie_ with?"

"Hey! It's *my* _Legsweep_ business! This wasn't _Axe Kick_ *my* idea!"

"Then *don't* _Flying Roundhouse Kick_ refuse help when _Tumble/Rising Uppercut_ you're outnumbered. You'll just _Monkey's Paw_ alienate potential _Drop Kick_ allies _Block/Counterpunch/Right Cross_ unnecessarily."

"You..." Akane blinked. There were boys lying in all directions. The only one still moving was whimpering and trying to adjust his sumo belt where it had almost been pulled to the level of his ears. "Where's the rest of them?"

Ranma made a brief gesture to one of the trees.

"Oh." Akane frowned but was glad that Ranma hadn't done any of this during their sparring yesterday.

"Ah, Akane Tendo, how I..." **WHAM!**

"Oops. Sorry. I saw him move out of the trees and getting ready to throw something. Uhm, he wasn't anyone important was he?"

Nabiki looked down at the boy, noting Kuno's crossed eyes and the slight indentation which covered most of his face. The indentation caused by a single punch. "Good grief, Kuno-baby. You're *really* pathetic today."

"Well, c'mon. Show me where the Nurse's office is, I'll drop this guy off, then we need to get to class." Ranma sighed and shouldered the guy. Figures it would be a friend of Nabiki's. He was really batting a thousand this morning... 

"Leave him there, Saotome. You don't want to hurt his pride more than you have," Akane smirked. She wouldn't be late for class, and from the look of things, it would rain on the Shooting Star in just a few moments. Not that she would enjoy looking out from her classroom and seeing the rain drench any of those boys who usually assaulted her in the morning. No, nothing like that.

* * *

"Did you see that, Daisuke?"

"See some gaijin come in, fight briefly alongside Akane, then lay out Kuno with one punch? Or do you refer to the fact that upon hitting the ground, our school champion still slid three feet back from the force of impact? Or, perchance, did you mean that the ones that Akane hit have gotten up and rushed to their classes, while the ones that the gaijin hit are still lying there?"

"Hmmm. Hadn't noticed that last bit myself. He moved like a ghost. 'Phantom rough on roughnecks?' The rain is beginning to revive 'em though. Hattori of the Sumo Club is still curled up in a ball, though." 

"Never saw a flying tumble wedgie/throw like that. Looks like it hurt."

"Oh knock it off," Akane grumbled as she took her seat. "I didn't want that baka's help!" 

"So you *do* know him," Yuka noted. "A foreigner. How exciting!" 

"He's just staying with us," Akane made a dismissing gesture. "His dad and my dad knew each other a while back." 

"Oh wow, I didn't know your dad knew any foreigners. I thought he was pretty traditional in things like that." Sayuri smirked. 

Akane shrugged but remained silent as the teacher was now walking in with the "newbie." "Well, class, we have a new student today. Having just spent some time in China, so let's give him a big 'ni hao' welcome."

"Oh yeah, he *really* looks Chinese." Yuka's stage whisper brought a set of giggles. 

"Hi, I'm Ranma Saotome, pleased to meet'cha." Ranma bowed slightly. 

"Geez, a *gaijin*. Just when I thought Furinkan couldn't sink any lower." 

Ranma glared but didn't say anything. This damn curse made him look un-Japanese. The nail that sticks out gets pounded down. 

The teacher made his opinion of the unnecessary disruption known. "Mister Suzuhara. Do you *want* to stand in the hall?" That worthy got up from his desk. "If it means I don't have to share the room with some unclean foreigner, yes."

"Sit down, Suzuhara. Whatever it looks like, I'm Japanese. Got it?" 

"Ai no ko?" The girl who spoke up immediately covered her face, not able to believe she had said that. It wasn't a polite term, referring to a half-Japanese in a society where racial purity and bloodlines were considered important concerns. 

Ranma grumbled and sat down. Nobody would believe him anyway. 

------eyecatch #1---------- 

Ranma 1/2: SoDVSS in background. Pair runs across screen, vanishing on the other side. Immediately goes to next group.

right to left: Mousse chases Shampoo left to right: Kodachi chases Mousse right to left: Kuno chases Akane left to right: Ranma chased by Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi, Shampoo, Ukyou, Mecha, a fair number of Marvel Supervillains. 

left to right: Ryouga lumbers in, stops mid stage, and shrugs. Finally he bows to the audience. 

-----eyecatch#2------------ 

Akane shrugs into a "streetfighter" costume and strikes a pose. Shampoo does the same thing a moment later. Ukyou flips a mask into place and grips her spatula. Nabiki and Kasumi look at the three posing. Nabiki looks acutely embarrassed while Kasumi merely smiles and bows at the audience. 

* * *

Kasumi checked the backpacks. She was going to have to do an extra load of laundry today and wanted to get started. Had to get the spare futons out of storage, after all. 

And if they'd been camping, the two Saotomes no doubt had dirty clothes that needed to be cleaned. Certainly a whiff of Mister Saotome's gi had proven the need for laundry to be done ASAP! 

As she pulled the odd circular object out of a satchel, Kasumi spent a moment in puzzlement before she turned it over. 

"oh my..." The straps were old and worn, the metal seemed especially light in her hands, there was some dirt and grit clinging to it. All of which paled beside the fact that she *recognized* it. 

"Oh dear. Oh my." Kasumi sat down before the Shield and regarded it, her head cocked slightly to the side. Kami were said to reside in the unique, and in objects which had seen much history. If so, this was a definite contender for having a kami. 

She'd only seen the man once, her mother had taken her shopping that day, when this giant of a man walked by, flanked by reporters. He had been on "private business" that day, according to those same reporters. 

He hadn't been much of a giant in stature, something over six feet in height, but this overwhelming feeling of presence had made him seem over twice as big. 

Kasumi had been impressed as her mother pointed out the man in the funny costume. Her mother had gone on about all the things that Captain America had done. Then when the news had come on, later, Kasumi had watched as the man had gone on to speak. Still what he had said was that he was on "private business" and the reporters had never found out what. It was something relating to the Reconstruction, but what that had been was mainly speculation. One had even speculated that the Captain had been in Japan during the Reconstruction, quietly helping behind the scenes. That he might even have family... 

Kasumi froze, the implications slamming into her as hard as Akane's brickbreaking punch. Idle speculation from years ago + Ranma's presence here spun itself into a tale that made perfect sense. 

Captain America HAD been in Japan during the turbulent times when the Home Islands had rebuilt themselves from WWII. Then, as foreign presence became less tolerated, he left. Leaving behind a family. (She could see it now, leaving behind his family so that they wouldn't be targets!) Now that the Captain had disappeared last year, his *grandson* (no doubt some Japanese woman's inherent nobility had captured his heart, just like in a romance novel!) had come forward with his inherited shield! 

Kasumi rocked back as she stared at the Shield, though she wasn't seeing it at the moment. Nabiki (!) was engaged to Ranma. To the grandson of a world renknowned hero? To a multiply decorated warrior whose exploits often exemplified the very gallant and noble heart of bushido? "Oh MY."

Kasumi blinked again and quickly began cleaning and polishing the Shield. In a way, it fit entirely too well. The American code of bushido was obviously different, as a shield was more a symbol of protection than the sword of the samurai. Yes, and that meant that Akane was entirely wrong for this Ranma also. Nabiki would never understand the selflessness that Mother had spoken of, regarding the Captain's exploits. Akane had a poor temper, and was a bit of a violent maniac. That left... 

"Oh... my." Kasumi smiled a little and packed the Shield away. Well, it wasn't too late to have things switched around, was it? Hmmm. 

* * *

The class hadn't been too bad. Despite all the expectations about a foreigner not being able to handle the Japanese course load, Ranma had gone through the same thing before during his periodic re-immersions into school. The required kanji were a little more complex, the math a little more needlessly difficult, the teachers a bit more cranky and stern. Gym, however, was a chance to unwind from being scrunched up at a too-small desk. 

And, unfortunately, he drew a crowd. Uneven bar, rings, horse, no matter what he tried, he surprised the various watchers by moving with a speed and precision that weren't expected of such a large individual. Now afterwards, at lunch, he had an even bigger crowd. 

Ranma shrugged and wondered if he would *ever* figure out women. That was the majority of the crowd. As one could expect, this was sitting even less happily with the various boys in the cafeteria. 

Nabiki snapped pictures frantically. Poking that hole in the boys shower room had netted her pictures that would put her in the black FIRMLY. (Nabiki swallowed at that word and tried to get the accompanying image out of her head.) Preorders on the photos were HUGE. (Again Nabiki struggled to get certain images out of her head. Likewise she tried to avoid phrases dealing with big, massive, and a fair number of other words.) Oh yeah, and those photos proved he was a natural blonde. Heh heh. 

Nabiki had already gone through three rolls of film. A few shots here, a few shots there, a few shots THERE. Yes, a nice pictorial and info spread on the newcomer. LOTS of girls were curious about all the rumors and stories about foreigners. After flirting with Akane like that, Ranma DESERVED any problems that occurred from this. Nabiki grinned and thought about all the money she could make off of this. Delightful. Then, Nabiki reflected, once Ranma knew not to take her for granted, she would relent and once again be the supportive fiancee. As always, Nabiki thought to herself, a perfect plan. If she had shared this plan to anyone else, they would have pointed out it made as much sense as some of her father's plans.

Ranma suppressed a chill, not knowing what this feeling of doom was from. Maybe from that guy he'd seen earlier that morning, rushing forward with a bokken over his head. 

"FOUL FOREIGN FIEND WHO INFESTS OUR HALLOWED GROUNDS!" 

**WHAM!**

"Sorry about this morning, guy. Thought you were one of the guys attacking Akane." Ranma went back to sipping his juice. Everyone talked ABOUT him, but so far nobody had actually tried talking TO the big foreigner. 

Kuno picked himself up and pulled another bokken out of nowhere. Careful examination would reveal Sasuke under the table with a small bundle of bokkens, roses, and other supplies. "FOREIGN DEVIL, HOW DARE YOU ENGAGE YOURSELF TO AKANE TENDO!" 

"Uhm, there's a few flaws in your reasoning there, guy."

"YOU WILL ADDRESS ME AS SEMPAI!"

"If you can't make sense, can you at least stop yelling?" 

"FIRST YOU SEEK TO DILUTE THE NOBLE TENDO BLOODLINE, THEN ?!"

"Saotome special manuever. Forcefeeding Fist. I asked you nicely, turn the volume down." 

"Gak, gurk, urk."

"Oh, choking, huh? Hang on. I know how to fix this."

"Uhm, Ranma, that's not how you do it."

"Oh, yeah, Akane, I guess you're right. He's not choking anymore, but I don't think that shade of blue is too healthy. I've had some problems judging my strength since I got this curse. Infirmary again?" 

"Yup." 

* * *

opening theme---------------- 

a darkly lit street, three girls back into the circle of light surrounding a streetlamp. "Where have all the good men gone, And where are all the gods?" 

various Yakuza and unsavory types swarming towards Kasumi and Nabiki, Akane bravely stands in front of them, ready to protect them with her life. "Where's the street-wise Hercules, To fight the rising odds?" 

Close up, Kasumi seems to pray. "Isn't there a white knight, Upon his wild steed?" 

Weapons are being drawn as the crowd surrounds the three. "Late at night I toss and turn, And dream of what I need." 

The Shield comes crashing in, slams into one of the toughs, then flashes back to its wielder. Lightning crashes. "I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero Till the end of the night!" 

Akane is holding off a few while the majority turn on the newcomer. Bodies start flying. "He's gotta be strong, And he's gotta be fast, And he's got to be fresh from the fight!" 

The Shield flashes across the screen again, and the scene changes. Now is shown Ranma using the Shield to block a Dark Kingdom attack with the Senshi behind him. Sailor Venus is holding up a sign [I saw him first!] "I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero Till the morning light, He's gotta be sure, And he's gotta be soon, And he's gotta be larger than life, Larger than life!" 

The Shield flashes across the screen again, and the scene changes. Ranma is sitting atop a roof, looking out across Nerima at night.Character images appear in the background. Soun & Genma, Akane (both wearing her Tigermask and not), Nodoka, Kasumi, Nabiki, Kuno, Ryouga (Hulked out and not). Sequence ends with Shampoo on the street, looking up at Ranma. "Somewhere after Midnight, In my wildest fantasy, Somewhere just beyond my reach, There's someone reaching back for me, Racing on the thunder, And rising with the heat, It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet." 

The Shield flashes across the screen again, and the scene changes. Montage sequence. Mandarin is laughing in the background. Kiima and Phoenix Mountain in secondary layer. Robot soldiers, Yakuza, Doc Ock, various assorted supervillains, etc move across foreground. "I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero, Til the end of the night. He's gotta be strong, And he's gotta be fast, And he's gotta be fresh from the fight. I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero, Til the morning light. He's gotta be sure, And he's gotta be soon, And he's gotta be larger than life, Larger than life. "

Holding out for a hero, tm by Bonnie Tyler it seemed appro for this fic. perhaps also for Mirrors Mult. 

================

So, here we go. 

Captain America, as stated, wins against all the odds, even in impossible situations. So Ranma has merged with Steve Rogers to some extent. The hints are in there that the two are slowly fusing together. 

The concept that some of the springs only work on one individual at a time is based on the power of Tarou's cursed form and that of Rouge's cursed form. Otherwise the Musk might have used the first to increase their power in the wars against the Nichieju, while the amazons could have replied by using the latter. So after the Hulkinichuan has cursed Ryouga it goes back to being Spring Of Drowned Piglet. Likewise Spring Of Drowned Virtuous Supersoldier becomes Spring Of Drowned Girl again. 

Nabiki has staked a claim. Kasumi is interested. Akane isn't angry at Ranma and as long as he isn't engaged to her, she doesn't have much problem with him. All three are going to be a little put off by the idea that this is a curse. As the merger continues and lil' Ranma grows up, i think Akane would get rather more interested as time goes on. 

Kuno comes down with the Japanese prejudice against "filthy gaijin invading the school" for Ranma, and the idea of him "sullying the purity of pure Japanese" by being engaged to ANY of the Tendos is anathema to Kuno. Ranma's protests about his really being Japanese are quite obviously lies, at least as far as Kuno's concerned. 

Ranma seems to pick up English skills VERY easily, but starts having problems in History class. 

Shampoo comes to Nerima. How much is safe for her to reveal? The reaction of Soun and Genma to her mentioning the name of the Mandarin's flunky will certainly give her pause. 

Ryouga shows up. No P-chan. No merger. Ryouga merely hulks out in his cursed form. MAJOR property devaluation in his presence. The pig template was completely overriden. Akane pities Ryouga, but doesn't cuddle up with him. (Somehow the image of Akane sleeping with "H-chan" doesn't work too well.)

Various American heroes come calling as the Hulk reappears. Somewhere down the line, Ranma uses that fancy shield of his and it gets recognized. Most assume that he's the son of the now-vanished Captain America. 

The Mandarin has two allies, which he has under his control. One developed the robot soldiers, the other is Happosai. (No, I'm not saying who the inventor type is.) He's mainly concentrating on holding onto his new powerbase and trying to bring Phoenix Mountain under his control. Eventually he begins building Sentinels. 

The new springs? Left to the imagination of you, the reader. The threats that Mandarin would go after would be the ones most likely to interfere, so favored villains could be in there too. 

Plotline? Freeing the amazons, defeating the Mandarin and his agents, all of which are gradually introduced. How far is Mousse willing to go if he is promised Shampoo by the Mandarin? 

Power level? Well, Ranma gradually ends up as a mix of himself and Captain America. He'll find himself "remembering" skills and developing "new" techniques that the original had. Divergent, ne?

---------------------------------- 

(1) i actually ran into this attitude. _*sigh*_ because self is NOT tall, blonde, or blue eyed, then obviously i must not be American...pfeh! Actually had one person trying to practice their Greek on me. Of course, i've heard asians at anime conventions have perfect strangers coming up at jabbering at them in Japanese, whether they're Chinese-Americans or whatever... As for the Mandarin's big mistake, come on, they ALWAYS do the "one _______ won't matter." } 


	2. Chapter 2

hero2.txt   
  
Spring Of Drowned Hero chapter 2   
  
"It ain't easy being green."   
  
DISCLAIMER: This fic takes place in a Marvel/Ranma/SM Universe. Characters are (tm) and/or (c) their respective owners.   
  
---------   
  
*BOUNCE!*   
  
Akane rubbed her nose. "HEY YOU! WATCH WHERE YOu're going...?!"   
  
Akane Tendo was brave. It didn't matter how big the opponent, her confidence in her martial arts abilities and strength would see her through any normal conflict. Reputations she had slightly more trouble with, as those *could* intimidate her.   
  
Turning a corner with her friends Yuka and Sayuri, she hadn't seen any sign that would indicate today was going to be a day where she would face anything worse than Tatewaki Kuno.   
  
However, while she was obstinate, prone to ignoring anything that didn't fit what she had already made her mind up about (something she would deny as if she acknowledged such a fault she would be admitting she had something in common with the aforementioned Tatewaki), and had even been described by her elder sister as a violent maniac, she was *not* a lowgrade moron.   
  
Therefore, while she was quite confident in her fighting skills, after bouncing off of a roadblock and beginning to yell at it, the recognition of the identity of that roadblock quickly penetrated and Akane Tendo of the Tendo School Of Anything Goes Martial Arts very nearly wet her pants. Scratch that "very nearly" as she noticed the rage on the individual's face.   
  
Said roadblock stood over nine and a half feet tall, weighed over fifteen hundred pounds, and was composed almost entirely of muscle. Skin, hair, nails - all being shades of green. Though the hair was a little long, and the yellow/black bandana was a new addition, Akane Tendo had absolutely no problem figuring out who this was.   
  
The Incredible Hulk.   
  
Someone whose fist was bigger than her head, and who could reduce her to the consistency of strawberry jam with less effort than it took her to open a door.   
  
Someone with a temper *worse* than hers on a day where Kasumi had forgotten to pick up Midol and her PMS was going off with a vengeance. Someone who could get pissed and wreak havoc on a scale Godzilla would normally be required for.   
  
Akane grinned stupidly, trying to come up with some way of placating the huge creature in such a way that he would leave quietly and not flatten her so badly that she could use a postage stamp as a burial shroud. She was vaguely aware of Yuka and Sayuri having turned completely white, down to the roots of their hair, then shrieking and heading for the school as if that would save them.   
  
The Hulk growled low and animalistically as he finished turning towards Akane. A hand reached out with surprising speed to grasp her waist and pull her close.   
  
Akane saw her life pass before her eyes. She wanted a "do over" as she catalogued all the things that she hadn't done.   
  
"Where is Furinkan High School?"   
  
Akane blinked, all too aware that the Hulk's reported strength was sufficient that the hand almost completely encircling her waist could squeeze her to a literal bloody pulp. Anger began to percolate upwards, driven by fear and the knowledge that the entire school was watching. "This *is* Furinkan High School. Let me GO!"   
  
"Furinkan?" The large green fellow blinked and moved slightly towards the wall, reading slowly the kanji that confirmed it. "I here. At last. Now. Where Ranma Saotome?"   
  
Akane placed both hands on a thumb and tried to force it away from her midsection. "I... don't know (urk!) He already left (unnngghh!). He might be home...(uh oh)." Akane suddenly had an image of her house looking like a bomb crater. "No no no! I'm sure he's not *there*!"   
  
Ryouga's grip involuntarily tightened in reaction to the thought of Saotome's lechery, living with this tiny girl. "Ranma Saotome, you will pay... uh oh."   
  
Akane was now frantically trying to budge the thumb holding her in place. The grip had tightened from "loose but firm" to something that might ordinarily crush cars. While she might be inclined to lose an inch or two from her waistline, this was *not* how she wanted it to happen.   
  
A brick slammed into Ryouga's head from the side, not doing any damage but attracting the green goliath's attention.   
  
"I hear you're looking for me," said Ranma from atop the school's fence.   
  
Ryouga blinked. "Ranma Saotome?"   
  
"Yeah," answered Ranma. "So who the heck are you?"   
  
Ryouga looked at the tall blond gaijin. "Damn. All this trouble, and is wrong Ranma Saotome."   
  
----------   
  
Miles away, a boy named Ryu Kumon (who went by the name Ranma Saotome) got this sudden chill up his spine.   
  
---------   
  
(splash)   
  
Ryouga sniffed the air. "What stinks?"   
  
Akane whimpered. This level of pressure + full bladder + lotsa stress had been too much.   
  
Ryouga realized what had happened and reflexes bade his next course of action, he casually flipped the girl away from him with a sound of disgust.   
  
"EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeee" (wham bang boom) Akane considered just staying put, particularly on seeing the broken doors to the science lab, the broken wall, and the dent she'd put into the wall that had finally held up.   
  
However, wasn't it a basic truth of the School Of Anything Goes Martial Arts that no challenge could go unanswered? If she didn't answer this call to battle, how could she call herself the Heir to the Tendo School?   
  
Slowly she made her way to the gaping hole in the school wall.   
  
There was Ranma, looking off to the West.   
  
Akane looked in that direction. Other than a large gap where the school's outer wall had once stood, she didn't see anything. Realizing what that meant, she started looking madly around. "Hey, where'd the Hulk go?"   
  
"He just wandered off," said Ranma with a shrug. "It seems I'm not the Ranma Saotome he's looking for."   
  
"There's MORE of you?" Akane was a little disgusted with the idea. Not so much that there was more than one Ranma, but did that mean there was more than one Tatewaki Kuno? The mind boggled.   
  
--------------   
  
The Hulk continued to calm down, triggering the change. Soon, Ryouga Hibiki once again walked the streets of Nerima...   
  
Ryouga looked up and saw the Tokyo Tower. Okay, correction. Ryouga Hibiki walked the streets of Azabu Juuban.   
  
Several *very* pretty girls ran by in *very* short skirts ran by. "Come on, the reports were that the Hulk was *this* way!"   
  
Ryouga pinched his nose, noting that each of the five girls had nice legs. Not that he had time for those things until he'd gotten even with Ranma. They were looking for his cursed form? How strange! He didn't need cheerleaders, he needed vengeance!   
  
---------   
  
"So, koibito," said Nabiki, trying out the new pet name for her fiance, "do you suppose he was looking for whatever you looked like before you 'got cursed'?" Nabiki smirked inwardly. She wasn't sure why her fiance continued with this pretence. It didn't fool anyone.   
  
"Oh man, I missed that," groaned Ranma, covering his face with one hand.   
  
"Why didn't you fight him?" Akane frowned. Wasn't he a member of the Anything Goes School?   
  
"Too many civilians, and the Hulk ain't exactly no flyweight. You suppose anything would be left in the area if the Hulk got really pissed?" Ranma shrugged. "If he was gonna fight me for real, I'd have had to try and get him away from the school at least."   
  
"Oh," said Akane, seeing his point.   
  
"Uhm, Akane," said Nabiki after getting a couple of quick pictures. "You might want to go home and change clothes."   
  
Akane glared but nodded.   
  
----------   
  
A gauntleted hand put the game controller (for "Super Romance Dating Scramble III", a Japanese dating simulator) down after pushing "Pause." (What, you expected him to be playing Flight Simulator?)   
  
"Iron Man, we have a Hulk sighting!"   
  
Iron Man (the original since his successor had turned up missing) accessed the commlink by a direct patch to his armor. "Are you sure about that? The Hulk vanished at about the same time as the majority of those other heroes vanished." Some had been good friends and Tony Stark couldn't help but feel a little mournful at this reminder.   
  
"Know anyone else who's 9'6", 1500 pounds, emerald green, and registers temper tantrums on the Richter scale?"   
  
"The Abomination," replied Iron Man. "Not to mention that time the Juggernaut was reported as a Hulk sighting, or any number of others."   
  
"Well, that's true, but this *does* tend to make those decryptions of the Chinese coded messages and reports sound more likely. Neither the Abomination or Juggernaut make mile-long jumps."   
  
"Thanks, Ed, we'll send someone out to check it out," Tony clicked off the broadcast, wanting to be alone with his thoughts. Azabu Juuban, eh? Well, a few of the remaining Avengers had wanted to check out these reports of superpowered elemental mutants running around.   
  
When a large number of heroes had suddenly turned up missing, the remaining heroes had shuffled around, and new ones had arisen to fill gaps. Ed, a minor mutant living in Colorado, didn't have the raw combat potential of any of those missing heroes, but his ability to "ghost" in the Internet did make him a valuable resource.   
  
Iron Man checked a few rosters. Who could be spared for a quick trip to Japan?   
  
----------   
  
"Ranma Saotome," said Tatewaki Kuno. "What foul sorcery doth this gaijin possess?"   
  
"Sorcery?" Hikaru Gosunkugi listened. Had there been some clue as to strange Western magic practiced by the tall fellow? Ranma had looked more like one of those American Football players than a sorcerer.   
  
"He has ensorcelled the fair Akane so that she fails to return my love, and his summoned ogre shall pay for his manhandling of her."   
  
"Hmmmm," said the spooky goth (known as "Voodoo Spike" Gosunkugi to some, though more referred to him as "whatshisname"). The Hulk was a summoned ogre? It *would* explain a few things.   
  
Sensing if not really paying attention to the fact that he had an audience, and playing to them, Tatewaki Kuno continued his diatribe. "No one can defeat the paragon of nobility that is the Blue Thunder, much less dispute the superiority of the Japanese over base foreigners. This is further evidence of the inferiority of these foreigners - for no Japanese would sink so low as to use foul sorceries against the virtuous Tatewaki Kuno."   
  
"Yeah, right," said Nabiki, passing by this crowd. "Kuno, you amaze me."   
  
"The Blue Thunder accepts such praise as his due," said the kendoist.   
  
"So who was praising you?" Nabiki's smirk was visible from over her shoulder as she entered the school.   
  
Kuno briefly considered yelling back at the mercenary that he despised her. Ah, but the fair Akane had left the school grounds to return soon. He should wait for her and thereby have a moment or two alone with the beauteous tigress so that she may bespeak her affections.   
  
Akane, already at home, felt a chill but decided she needed to hurry. She would likely be late anyway, but didn't really think anyone who had witnessed that scene this morning would object.   
  
------------   
  
Ranma Saotome sat at his too small desk and tried to focus on the teacher. Why did they have to drone like that? Certainly they had to repeat this material a lot, but the students picked up on things like a lack of enthusiasm for the subject.   
  
Already Chihiro had propped her book up and was slurping noodles from behind its shelter. That weird kid in the back was making voodoo dolls? Then there was Hiroshi and Daisuke, who were apparently looking over hentai magazines again. Yuka and Sayuri were gossipping. Weren't there any *normal* people in this class?   
  
"The answer, Mister Saotome?"   
  
"Admiral Yamamoto, sensei."   
  
"Very good, Mister Saotome."   
  
Ranma wondered how he had known that.   
  
---------------   
  
Kasumi finished cleaning the shield or, as she currently thought of it, the Shield. The straps had been old and well worn leather, which hadn't fared well, so she had had to replace them. Leather was difficult for her to budget, though she understood the need for a tough and lightweight material. After some time thinking of what would be suitable, Kasumi had come up with the idea of quilted silk but disregarded it due to the problems keeping such material clean.   
  
What the domestically inclined Tendo sister had come up with was reinforcing some material from one of Akane's old gi. It might not be perfect, but it would do until she could find something stronger. After all, if it could stand up to repeated washings, as well as Akane's workouts for so many years, it had to be fairly tough material.   
  
She was aware of Mister Saotome asking if there was anything for lunch, and had nodded and replied that she would get that right away. Naturally, she wasn't finished with the Shield, so she took it with her.   
  
Which was when Kasumi became aware of how Mister Saotome was eyeing the Shield.   
  
----------   
  
Genma was concerned. That shield that Ranma had found looked sort of familiar, but he hadn't been able to sell it. Ranma had chosen to be willful and obstinate when the subject had come up.   
  
The Anything Goes School eschewed weapon use. Using a weapon caused one to rely on it.   
  
That didn't mean that practitioners of Anything Goes wouldn't use a weapon. Hypocrisy was a basic tenet of the school as well.   
  
Ranma had practiced a few times with the shield while going through China. It seemed a silly weapon, an overgrown frisbee. Still, there had been *something* about how Ranma practiced with the weapon. Not only had it seemed to click as "natural" somehow, it had even tickled some memory as being familiar in some odd fashion.   
  
Genma knew he could trick Kasumi into handing over the shield. There were places in Tokyo he could sell it for that would pay him at least enough to get a quick bottle of sake or two. Maybe a full meal.   
  
The problem was that the *old* Ranma might have griped or complained about it, but would have given in eventually. The *new* Ranma was less certain to say the least. He could be pushed, but you got the feeling that he was continually weighing everything that happened as if against some internal checklist. The old pre-Jusenkyo Ranma was easily led. The new blonde Ranma wasn't easily led or fooled.   
  
Well, maybe he'd get the chance to sell it, then he'd explain to the boy how it was all for the best. Just looking out for the boy's interest, after all.   
  
------------   
  
He was the Incredible Hulk. He was darn near invulnerable, could lift 100 tons, punch through battleships, and leap well over a mile.   
  
He was lost.   
  
He had also discovered that while he wasn't actually injured by a lot of stuff, it could still sting a lot.   
  
"Mars Fire.... Damn it, he's running too fast for me to get a bead on him!"   
  
"Do you think Jupiter's going to be okay?"   
  
"Sailor Moon, she was knocked down and run over by the Hulk! Still I think her transformation protected her. Mostly." Sailor Mercury frowned as she ran and adjusted her visor at the same time, something that would have made Sailor Moon herself take a painful fall if she'd tried it. "This is very odd. I'm reading several magical signatures on the Hulk, but he's supposed to be non-magical in nature."   
  
At this point, knowing full well that those fire blasts *stung*, and that if that girl in the orange skirt tried to flying kick him in the face again with that short skirt he'd have a terminal nosebleed, Ryouga/Hulk remembered he could leap tall buildings with a single bound.   
  
"Crescent beam, SMASH!" Sailor Venus fired off her quickest attack, noting that for such a big fellow, the Hulk moved extremely quickly.   
  
*SPING!* The blast managed to cut a bandana off the Hulk's head. Oddly enough there was another one underneath it.   
  
Feeling the burn, Ryouga leapt up. "Ranma Saotome! This all your fault!"   
  
Sailor Moon blinked. "Ranma Saotome?!"   
  
"Ranma Saotome?!" Sailor Venus puzzled, picking up the bandana.   
  
"Ranma Saotome," mumurred Sailor Mercury, already accessing a websearch on her computer.   
  
-----------   
  
A long day of school. In a desk designed for someone not nearly as massive as himself. Where people regarded him as being gaijin and at least some were actively hostile as a result. Long hours of tedium.   
  
Then the final bell rings.   
  
Ranma had achieved a routine, even though it was only his second day at Furinkan Senior High School.   
  
"Yipeee!"   
  
This routine was started by an acrobatic flip outside the third story window, followed by lightly landing on the concrete below, then a graceful hurdle of the school's outer wall. By the time some of the students of his class had reached the bottom of the stairs, he was already home.   
  
He casually swatted his father into the pavement, caught the shield before it could land, and was off to the next stop. The kitchen. He was hungry after all.   
  
"Oh, Ranma," said Kasumi cheerfully, then blinked in surprise. She could have *sworn* she'd just had three cheeseburgers on that tray.   
  
Ranma finished licking a bit of melted cheese off his hands. "Yes, Kasumi?"   
  
"I cleaned your shield," said Kasumi, trying to sound Ranma out on this and confirm what she thought she already knew.   
  
"Yeah, thanks. Try to keep my Pop off of it though. What can I say, he's a moron." Ranma abruptly realized he'd fitted the shield into place on his arm. It was amazing how natural it felt there.   
  
Kasumi noticed how well the shield fit into place, but that hadn't been what she was leading into. "Do you practice with that?"   
  
"Yeah, some," admitted Ranma. "I was just gonna go do that, in fact." He'd spotted one of those vacant lots that construction companies used to temporarily store things while working in the area and it had struck him as darn near *perfect* for practicing a couple of techniques he'd thought up.   
  
"Do you mind if I watch?" Kasumi had a fairly good idea of what to expect if her theory was true.   
  
Ranma puzzled over this for a few moments. He couldn't see a problem, per se, it just struck him as a strange request. "Uhm, I guess not."   
  
----------   
  
Nabiki was incensed, again. First her iinazuke goes off and flirts with her *dear* younger sister the very first day he attended school. Then he went off back home without so much as a "by your leave" or "would you like me to take you home" or even just a nod of the head.   
  
A few sly innuendos to Akane about perverted Americans and what "everybody knows" about their nonstop sex drives and cruder sensibilities, and Nabiki was fairly sure that anything budding between Akane and Ranma had been effectively derailed.   
  
Pictures of a naked Ranma, taken from a carefully placed hole in a wall overlooking the boy's shower, hadn't sold as well as could be expected. Though there was some curiosity, it was mainly detracted from by his newness and gaijin status. The mercenary Tendo thought it likely that as Ranma became more familiar, and the opportunity came for more secretive purchase, the sales would go up slightly.   
  
As for the rest of the school day, it was mainly a waste of time. Nabiki kept a solid week ahead of the class, that way she could deal with any situations that could increase her financial standing immediately. A few rumors, mostly dealing with the Hulk's presence had graced the halls of Furinkan: the Hulk was here to enroll, the Hulk was here to promote some upcoming movie, the Hulk had shown up to kill Ranma for stealing Nabiki's heart, the big green fellow hadn't been the Hulk after all - just an actor, and finally (Nabiki's favorite) - the Hulk had shown up specifically to challenge Akane due to Tatewaki Kuno's rule and was now going to take her off on a date.   
  
There was much teasing possibility in this last. Even Tatewaki Kuno, in his own bizarre disassociated manner, realized that attacking the Hulk to dispute his date with Akane was not a particularly healthy move. Akane, of course, didn't care for this rumor at all. Which merely meant that Nabiki found plenty of room for some light teasing.   
  
This was beside the point, however. Ranma had ignored her for the most part over the past two days.   
  
Nabiki slowed as a random thought percolated up through the layers of her mind. She knew from her father's description that Ranma had spent most of his life on the road and his social skills reeked as a result.   
  
Maybe he didn't have a clear idea what being engaged involved, other than as a precursor for marriage?   
  
Nabiki frowned thoughtfully, which sent some sophomores scurrying away clutching their wallets. She'd have to investigate this further.   
  
-------   
  
Akane had been pleasantly surprised. Very little teasing had occurred from her unfortunate accident of the morning. Perhaps it was that most people faced with being pulped by the Hulk would have had similar reactions, perhaps it was Akane's own temper and reputation for casual violence, perhaps it was the dearth of other things to talk about. Whatever the cause, the result was that few people commented on Akane losing bladder control while in the grip of the Hulk.   
  
Akane was still sore from the Hulk's grip on her, and from being thrown through one wall, a closed door, and finding herself imbedded in that second wall. She wasn't exactly a delicate flower, but that had been pushing her limits.   
  
Though it *had* gotten her some additional respect. Anyone who could still walk after that sort of attack was worth respecting, in the opinions of many.   
  
She stepped over the slightly flattened figure of Genma on her way into her house. "Tadaima!" No one answered though. Not so unusual for her father, but Kasumi not being here was slightly more unusual.   
  
Her danger sense went off as Genma attacked. "Mister Saotome, I hurt too much to practice now, can we try again tomorrow?"   
  
Genma paid attention to the limp and the way Akane was carrying herself. "Try a hot soak, student. We'll make up for this lapse in training tomorrow morning."   
  
"Oh joy," said Akane, though the thought of soaking in the furo *did* sound quite appealing.   
  
----------   
  
Kasumi was sitting demurely on a concrete pipe, watching the practice and comparing memories of news clips to what she was watching now. She hadn't trained in the martial arts since her mother's death, and she'd trained almost exclusively in the Tendo Naginata-ryuu prior to that. She *did*, however, know something about various martial arts styles.   
  
The blurring boy was better than she was, which wasn't surprising, but was also better than she *could* have been. Everyone, she felt, had a certain limits within them. She had discovered that while she could have dedicated herself to the martial arts, she wasn't as good with unarmed styles as she was with the naginata, and her potential within the domestic arts like cooking were far greater than either. Time and energy limits what we can dedicate ourselves to, and so Kasumi had eventually chosen to pursue solely the domestic arts.   
  
Ranma was fast. Much faster than someone would expect of such a big gaijin. Also had incredible control and precision, and showed every sign of being a skilled martial artist.   
  
Kasumi compared a split instant of stance with another image from an old news report about Captain America fighting someone with the unlikely name of "Red Skull" in New York. Match up: 97%.   
  
Another image compared to memory. Another match up that was almost exact. Again and again.   
  
Ranma started practicing with the Shield, and Kasumi nodded. Even greater resemblence, verging on 99%. It was enough to decide.   
  
All talk of Jusenkyo curses to the side, it was obvious now, at least to Kasumi.   
  
As far as Kasumi was concerned, Ranma Saotome was the son of Captain America.   
  
Though Ichi-bei, the relations between Japan and America, was often strained by either America's Japan-bashing or the reactions of those within her own country, Kasumi had grown up in a time when the United States was considered sort of a bratty and slightly immature older brother. Captain America, on the other hand, was considered somewhat of a heroic role model. In some ways he had exemplified certain aspects of bushido, or European chivalry. In some ways he represented an ideal America, one that didn't whine as much or have the greatest concentration of litigation attorneys on the planet.   
  
Captain America's exploits had been reproduced in manga form, going from historical records, back in the mid 60s. It was occasionally reprinted, though the dojinshi involving the Captain had been best forgotten. The Americans tended to not care for *that* sort of depiction of their icon, and there were quite a few Japanese who had felt similarly.   
  
Captain America had been a brash youth in WWII, and had made a number of comments and actions that he'd later expressed regret over. He'd been present at odd times during the Reconstruction, or so it was said. The pictures of the Captain of that time had always struck Kasumi as being a little "off". Then he'd reappeared a few times during the seventies. Now here it was 1992, and the Captain's Son was ready to take up the mantle.   
  
Kasumi watched the skill that Ranma used in ricocheting the shield off several objects to land in his hand again. Yes, Ranma would eventually be the noble successor to the title. What had happened to the original? Or was it something that changed hands every twenty years? Passed from father to son to their son and now to Ranma?   
  
How would Nabiki handle being the fiancee of a world famous superhero? Probably not well. Kasumi decided to have a long talk with Nabiki about responsibilities. Did Nabiki really understand what being a fiancee entailed? Probably not.   
  
How would Akane handle this when it came out. Hmmm. Kasumi considered something else. The Captain had originally had a sidekick, "Bucky" - a term meaning "Buck Private" as she recalled. Maybe he could use a new sidekick? One who could represent Ichi-Bei, a hero for *Japan* working alongside the Avengers and other groups.   
  
Kasumi smiled a little more. Akane was a violent maniac, but she was also a nice girl. This could be just the sort of thing to help her get over some of that aggression. She'd need a costume though. Perhaps something in yellow... Akane looked good in yellow.   
  
-----------   
  
"Arrrgghhh, where is Ranma Saotome?!"   
  
Ryu Kumon put down his ramen bowl. "I'm Ranma Saotome. What's *your* beef?!" He turned, confident smirk on his lips to regard what fool might be looking for him, or maybe this was a clue to where he could find the Umisenken Scroll.   
  
There was a big green wall blocking his view. How curious.   
  
Ryouga/Hulk looked down at the little fellow. Size = about right. Coloration = about right. Japanese? Yes. "At last! Ryouga SMASH!"   
  
Ryu Kumon suddenly realized *what* he was looking at. He jumped back in order to get some fighting room and unleash his secret techniques. Seeing the Hulk there, he paused for a moment, then grinned. Taking down the Hulk using the Yamasenken would prove the effectiveness of the techniques!   
  
-----------   
  
Shampoo yawned while looking for her husband. Upon hearing what sounded like an explosion, she decided to investigate. Her airen might be there.   
  
Or at least some allies she could get.   
  
==========   
  
Ryu Kumon vs Incredible Hulk?!   
  
Akane, superhero sidekick in training?   
  
Ranma, reluctant Captain America?   
  
Shampoo respects strength, what will she think of the Hulk?   
  
OMAKE -----   
  
Old heroes gone, others have risen to fill the ranks of existing ones. Some do not stand side-by-side with the "superhero teams" but fulfill other functions now.   
  
(Note: other than the cameo of Ed in this chapter i have no plan to actually utilize any of these, it's just intended as a fun little bit.)   
  
Ghostspider (Ed Becerra)   
Type: Mutant (?)   
Affiliation: Avengers   
Base Of Operations: Colorado (Worldwide)   
Mutant Power: Machine Ghost (can astrally project into electronic systems, primarily the internet). Has Good control over machines within line of sight, Unearthly for those he's in physical contact with.   
Occupation: Researcher   
Reputation: Unknown to all but but a few members of the Avengers and Professor X. Part of his ability allows him to mask himself from cybernetic systems, including Sentinels.   
  
Tora (Rupert Chaynie)   
Type: Werelynx   
Affiliation: none   
Base Of Operations: Australia   
Werepowers: Regenerates from wounds that are not inflicted by silver, magic, or other werecreatures when in hybrid or animal form. Can transform to werelynx hybrid form, human, or animal form.   
Occupation: artist   
Reputation: Not well known. Tried out for Heroes For Hire local branch, and was told they'd keep his resume on file.   
  
Zen Zen (Zen?)   
Type: Mutant (?)   
Affiliation: None   
Base Of Operations: Atlanta   
Mutant Powers: can charge metal objects, making them nearly indestructible and lightweight. Charge lasts for only two minutes.   
Occupation: programmer   
Reputation: Unknown. His only appearance was during an Avengers recruiting drive. After flirting with all the female Avengers and candidates, he was ruled too un-PC for a group that has a Federal status.   
  
Shade (?)   
Type: Mystic   
Affiliation: None   
Base Of Operations: mobile   
Mystic Powers: song mage. As it can take five minutes or more for him to get off a spell, he has not had much success as a superhero.   
Occupation: musician   
Reputation: Shade enjoys some success as a musician, though he is completely unknown as a superhero.   
  
Transit (Hung Nguyen)   
Type: Mutant (?)   
Affiliation: none   
Base Of Operations: mobile   
Mutant Powers: ability to "pop a stitch in spacetime" in any open doorway or window and connect the space he's currently occupying with another space, somewhere within a 10,000 mile range. These gateways can be as large as a typical garage door or as small as the hole in a pencil sharpener. Opening a gateway requires a great deal of effort, keeping it open is merely a matter of slight effort, and closing it simply requires he take his mind off keeping the gate open for a moment.   
Occupation: travel agent   
Reputation: well known among the rich and famous, as well as a few superhero groups. The last supervillain group to try and blackmail him discovered that he could link the barrels of their guns using his power. It is known that he charges more for impolite people.   
  
Hound (Gregg Sharp)   
Type: Esper   
Affiliation: FBI   
Base Of Operations: mobile   
Esper Powers: Psychometry. By handling an object, Hound can get psychic impressions of the owner and lock on to the "psychic scent" of that user to track them.   
Occupation: Forensic "special talent"   
Reputation: well known within the FBI and some LEO circles, called in when more traditional methods have come to a dead end.   
  
Dragonbard (unknown)   
Type: Mage   
Affiliation: none   
Base Of Operations: mobile   
Mage Powers: Spellsinger, manifests spells via music.   
Occupation: rock singer   
Reputation: not very well known   
  
Artisan (Andrew Lemly)   
Type: mystic   
Affiliation: none   
Base Of Operations: owns a small island   
Mage Powers: sketch art. Can conjure any number of people or items by creating a sketch of that thing. As it can take over a day to do a proper sketch and bring it to reality, it is a very slow and laborious process. As the items remain after being sketched, Andrew has drawn his own island, mansion, and a number of other items and has adopted the attitude of "don't bother me and I won't bother you." Unfortunately he only seems able to maintain an even dozen items at any single time. He is currently trying to work out a way around this limitation.   
Occupation: supreme ruler of Lemon Island   
Reputation: don't bother his island or you'll regret it.   
  
Phant (Phantasm) (real name unknown)   
Type: Mutant?   
Affiliation: none   
Base Of Operations: Beverly Hills, CA   
Mutant(?) Abilities: puts out a continual "vermindeath" field. Small insects, fungi, and spores within 60 feet of Phant immediately shrivel up and perish.   
Occupation: exterminator   
Reputation: very well known, very well paid. Vacations in Japan frequently for massive shopping trips involving Manga No Mori and Animate stores. Has been featured in "Lifestyles of the Rich & Paranormal."   
  
Wanda the Magnificent (Ana Wagner)   
Type: Mystic Focus?   
Affiliation: none   
Base Of Operations: Hogwarts Academy, somewhere in England   
Mage Abilities: Student Teacher at a school for wizards, specialty in wand use and abjuration spells   
Occupation: Student teacher   
Reputation: hardly known at all, except to the students at Hogwarts.   
  
Tangent (Alex White)   
Type: Werefox   
Affiliation: none   
Base Of Operations :somewhere near Pittsburgh   
Werefox: ability to change into a hybrid or normal-looking fox. Regenerates from normal wounds in either fox or hybrid forms.   
Occupation: Apprentice Mage   
Reputation: Not very well known, except in sorcerous circles.   
  
Rikard (Richard Robinson)   
Type: Empowered   
Affiliation: none   
Base Of Operations: Seattle   
Power: Rikard has come into the possession of a bracer with four "materia" (one of four such materia users) - which allow him to summon certain spirits for specific tasks. Detox cleans air, land, or water. Shiva freezes things. Solarr allows him to project beams and domes of sunlight. Feather allows him to float as if weightless.   
Occupation: hired by the city of Seattle for waste management and special functions.   
Reputation: well known in Seattle, though he is thought to be using technology instead of magic and Shiva is his alien partner.   
  
White (Jared Ornstead)   
Type: Psychic/Mage   
Affiliation: church based   
Base Of Operations: Salt Lake City?/mobile   
Power: Psychic Healing. White can use psi talents to heal wounds, cure diseases, and correct disorders, so long as he can "lay hands" to establish a connection. The greater the injury or complication, the more of his own energy reserves this requires.   
Occupation: healer/missionary   
Reputation: known as having a "gift", which is sufficient for most people.   
  
Obsidian (Morgan Wright)   
Type: Mystic Warrior   
Affiliation: none (Silver Millenium)   
Base Of Operations: Los Angeles, CA   
Powers: Reborn warrior of an ancient magical moon kingdom. The Knight Of Fear is constantly radiating a fear aura of Good strength, this affects everyone the Knight does not recognize as an ally. Fighting Skills: Excellent, street brawler of good talent and strength. Has the ability to charge knives with chi, bringing their damage level up. Has been known to summon a serrated, spiked, two-handed, enchanted axe named "Finality".   
Occupation: street fighter   
Reputation: known as being a really nasty vicious street fighter.   
  
D&D Character:   
Sailor Pocky ("Poci Styx")   
Drow Elf female, level 5 Monk, hp:28, AC:15, Strength: 18, Dexterity: 18, Constitution: 11, Wisdom: 10, Charisma: 17. Saves: reflex 8, fort 4, will 4, Init 4. Melee 7, Ranged 7. Feats: Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike. Height: 5'1", 100 pounds, 112 years old, Move: 40ft   
SKILLS: Balance 10, Climb 8, Hide 8, Jump 8, Listen 5, Move Silent 8, Swim 6, Tumble 9.   
Racial Traits: +2 Dex, -2 Con, Immune to Magic Sleep, +2 Save Vs Enchantment, Low Light Vision, Proficient With Swords & Bows, +2 on Search Checks, +2 on Spot Checks, +2 on Listen Checks, Special Search   
Class Features: Unarmed Strike, Stunning Attack, Evasion, Deflect Arrows, Still Mind, Slow Fall (20ft) Purity Of Body, Monk Weapon Proficiencies, Fast Movement, Flurry Of Blows, AC Bonus.   
Special Equipment: Sailor Suit (no magical qualities, though it is acidproof, tear proof, and is composed of stainproof high tech materials used for making combat marionette tendons.)   
History: Sailor Pocky is an enthusiastic and optimistic girl who is similar to a human teenager. She comes from a universe where a fair number of other drow girls developed through mongrel cloning and grew up watching old tapes of "Sailor Moon" and similar series.   
Sailor Pocky is best used for comedic effect and to effect last moment rescues and the like, embarassing the heck out of her colleagues.   
  
Spring Of Drowned Hero   
Chapter 3:   
"The Shield Revealed"   
  
DISCLAIMER: Ranma/Sailor Moon/Marvel Xover universe. All tm and c the original owners.   
  
--------   
  
The Yamasenken, Mountain Of A Thousand Fists, half of a devastatingly powerful martial arts system.   
  
Ryu Kumon, though going by the name Ranma Saotome, was using these techniques without hint of mercy or sympathy, to their full effect.   
  
The Hulk (aka Ryouga Hibiki) was getting *pissed!* Though now that he'd gotten a better look at this "Ranma Saotome" he'd come to the conclusion that this was probably *also* the wrong Ranma Saotome.   
  
"Hold it right there!"   
  
Kumon sent two vaccuum chi blades towards this new threat.   
  
"AAAAAAAAAAA!"   
  
Ryouga momentarily lost his rage in shock as he saw this boy send one of those attacks at a young girl in a red cheerleader costume. Who went down with a bloody wound.   
  
It was odd, Ryouga realized, he could hear his heartbeat increasing in force and tempo - almost like a physical presence.   
  
"Now, monster!" Ryu had tried chi blades, now he'd open the gates and steal the monster's heart. This would prove the Yamasenken was the most powerful martial arts school in the world.   
  
The hand thumped against the Hulk's chest without penetrating it.   
  
"You hurt cute girl! RYOUGA SMASH!"   
  
"Too slow," said Ryu, leaping over the outstretched arm. "I..."   
  
*GRAB*   
  
Ryouga's other hand clutching one of Kumon's legs put an end to the dodging.   
  
*SLAM!* Ryu found himself being introduced to the pavement rather roughly.   
  
*WHAM!* Ryu Kumon was truly one of the toughest martial artists in Tokyo. One punch from an angry Hulk driving him nearly two feet deep into the pavement was not enough to kill him.   
  
Ryouga looked down at where "Ranma Saotome" was lying in a small crater, quite obviously unconscious. He calmed as the picture relaxed him. He smiled and began to transform back to Ryouga. "I... I beat him. At last I have beaten you, Ranma Saotome."   
  
"Uhm, excuse me?"   
  
Ryouga blinked and looked to the side where an extremely cute (though young) girl in a green cheerleader's outfit stood. "Huh?"   
  
"Can you help me get Rei-chan off the street before the police arrive?" The girl looked nervous but hopeful. While she liked green, the Hulk was a bit *too* much green.   
  
"Oh, uh, sure." Ryouga scratched his head, looking embarassed. How could he refuse a cute girl anything anyway?   
  
-----------   
  
Shampoo watched from nearby. Allies. Not her airen, but still these were potentially powerful allies.   
  
She'd have to follow and watch, then introduce herself, at least as soon as she was sure that they didn't have ties to the Mandarin or his diminuitive henchman.   
  
Hmmm. That one girl was pretty badly banged up. Looked like an opportunity to use some healing techniques.   
  
----------   
  
Akane Tendo was angry.   
  
This was, obviously, nothing new. The target of her anger was fairly new, however.   
  
"You call *this* martial arts training!?"   
  
Genma considering ignoring the youngest Tendo. "An attack can come at any time and you must be prepared to defend yourself instantly."   
  
"I'm supposed to be training to improve my martial arts skills," said Akane reasonably. This was taking some effort as her natural impulse was to beat on the sometimes panda. "Martial artist. NOT food-thief."   
  
"If you want to eat, you should defend your food better." Genma smirked at this new student. Nice battle aura she had going. She should be attacking in three. Two.   
  
"Oh yes, reminds me of training under the Master. Ah, those were the days, eh, Saotome?"   
  
Akane stared at her father. "You mean he's SERIOUS?!"   
  
"Akane, you must take the Art more seriously if you're going to be the Tendo Heir." Soun fixed his youngest with a reproving glance.


	3. Final notes

Spring Of Drowned Hero  
Chapter 3:  
"The Shield Revealed"  
  
DISCLAIMER: Ranma/Sailor Moon/Marvel Xover universe. All tm and c the original owners.  
  
--------  
  
The Yamasenken, Mountain Of A Thousand Fists, half of a devastatingly powerful martial arts system.  
  
Ryu Kumon, though going by the name Ranma Saotome, was using these techniques without hint of mercy or sympathy, to their full effect.  
  
The Hulk (aka Ryouga Hibiki) was getting *pissed!* Though now that he'd gotten a better look at this "Ranma Saotome" he'd come to the conclusion that this was probably *also* the wrong Ranma Saotome.  
  
"Hold it right there!"   
  
Kumon sent two vaccuum chi blades towards this new threat.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
Ryouga momentarily lost his rage in shock as he saw this boy send one of those attacks at a young girl in a red cheerleader costume. Who went down with a bloody wound.  
  
It was odd, Ryouga realized, he could hear his heartbeat increasing in force and tempo - almost like a physical presence.  
  
"Now, monster!" Ryu had tried chi blades, now he'd open the gates and steal the monster's heart. This would prove the Yamasenken was the most powerful martial arts school in the world.  
  
The hand thumped against the Hulk's chest without penetrating it.   
  
"You hurt cute girl! RYOUGA SMASH!"   
  
"Too slow," said Ryu, leaping over the outstretched arm. "I..."  
  
*GRAB*  
  
Ryouga's other hand clutching one of Kumon's legs put an end to the dodging.  
  
*SLAM!* Ryu found himself being introduced to the pavement rather roughly.  
  
*WHAM!* Ryu Kumon was truly one of the toughest martial artists in Tokyo. One punch from an angry Hulk driving him nearly two feet deep into the pavement was not enough to kill him.  
  
Ryouga looked down at where "Ranma Saotome" was lying in a small crater, quite obviously unconscious. He calmed as the picture relaxed him. He smiled and began to transform back to Ryouga. "I... I beat him. At last I have beaten you, Ranma Saotome."   
  
"Uhm, excuse me?"  
  
Ryouga blinked and looked to the side where an extremely cute (though young) girl in a green cheerleader's outfit stood. "Huh?"  
  
"Can you help me get Rei-chan off the street before the police arrive?" The girl looked nervous but hopeful. While she liked green, the Hulk was a bit *too* much green.  
  
"Oh, uh, sure." Ryouga scratched his head, looking embarassed. How could he refuse a cute girl anything anyway?  
  
-----------  
  
Shampoo watched from nearby. Allies. Not her airen, but still these were potentially powerful allies.  
  
She'd have to follow and watch, then introduce herself, at least as soon as she was sure that they didn't have ties to the Mandarin or his diminuitive henchman.  
  
Hmmm. That one girl was pretty badly banged up. Looked like an opportunity to use some healing techniques.  
  
----------  
  
Akane Tendo was angry.  
  
This was, obviously, nothing new. The target of her anger was fairly new, however.  
  
"You call *this* martial arts training!?"  
  
Genma considering ignoring the youngest Tendo. "An attack can come at any time and you must be prepared to defend yourself instantly."  
  
"I'm supposed to be training to improve my martial arts skills," said Akane reasonably. This was taking some effort as her natural impulse was to beat on the sometimes panda. "Martial artist. NOT food-thief."  
  
"If you want to eat, you should defend your food better." Genma smirked at this new student. Nice battle aura she had going. She should be attacking in three. Two.  
  
"Oh yes, reminds me of training under the Master. Ah, those were the days, eh, Saotome?"   
  
Akane stared at her father. "You mean he's SERIOUS?!"  
  
"Akane, you must take the Art more seriously if you're going to be the Tendo Heir." Soun fixed his youngest with a reproving glance.   
  
"I'm always serious about training," lied Genma.  
  
"Stealing my food?!" Akane glared at the sometimes panda. "What about throws and punches, kicks and special attacks?"  
  
"She's got a point, Oyaji," piped up Ranma from his position near Nabiki. "I don't think that kinda speed training will be effective with her. What element you think she is?"  
  
"Element?" Nabiki looked up from her own fiercely guarded rice bowl, then looked down and tried to figure out if it was notably smaller than it had been.  
  
"If you get outside that whole 'hard' versus 'soft' style argument, a lot of martial arts can be defined in element terms," explained Ranma. "The Saotome Ryuu is 'Air' - speed, agility, and avoidance. Like Air, you flow around your opponent's attacks. Mid-air combat is our school's specialty, y'know. Just an opinion, but Akane's style seems more the 'Earth' type."  
  
"You may have something there," Soun admitted. "Endurance and strength as opposed to speed and agility."  
  
Akane wasn't entirely sure about the element aspect, but was willing to go along with it if the training was less silly. Besides, she suspected that the whole thing was just an excuse so that Genma Saotome could stuff his face.  
  
Genma nodded after a few moments. "Yes, maybe that's so. I'll begin working on an endurance and toughness technique tomorrow."  
  
"Not the Oceanborn technique, is it?" Ranma shook his head. "What about the 'Teapot In A Tempest' technique?"  
  
"Well, that *would* be easier than the 'Mountain Into A Molehill' technique, or the dreaded 'Roll Out The Barrel' technique." Genma admitted to himself that those two could draw complaints from the neighbors too.  
  
"So stop stealing my food!" Akane announced as she noticed that her rice bowl was conspicuous in its lack of rice, reaching without looking for a blunt object to bounce off the Saotome patriarch's head.  
  
Nabiki frowned as she watched *her* rice bowl get bounced off Genma Saotome's head. Naturally this dislodged a lot of rice. "Well, I guess I ought to go to school *since my breakfast is on the floor now.*"  
  
Naturally everyone missed the load of sarcasm in her tone. Nabiki wondered why she bothered. Then she found Ranma, who had been sitting next to the rice cooker, handing her a replacement bowl.  
  
Ranma idly wondered why Kasumi had fixed him these "pancake" things, though they were kinda like okonomiyaki. At least she'd put the rice cooker next to him so he could add rice. He was Japanese, it just somehow didn't seem right to have breakfast that didn't have rice or fish in it.  
  
"You're right," admitted Genma after a few minutes of blocking Akane's attempts to grab his rice bowl. "I'll start collecting the materials for the 'Teapot' training."  
  
"It's not as lame as this food stealing stuff, is it?" Akane frowned and reached out (again without looking) and grabbed a bowl of rice.  
  
Nabiki *fumed* as her new rice bowl was commandeered. "I don't know, Akane. You seem to be learning the technique."  
  
"The 'Teapot In A Tempest' technique," said Soun, his eyes focussed off into the distance. "Ah, I remember it well. But isn't Akane too delicate and fragile for such training?"  
  
THAT got Akane over her reluctance. "Dad?! Okay, I'll do it!"  
  
Genma merely nodded. He could get an empty oil barrel easily enough, and the rope would be fairly easy too. The wooden rollers and pulleys slightly more difficult but still do-able. It was the taffy pulling machine and big rocks that might truly be difficult to procure.  
  
Soun was mainly concerned with how well Nabiki and Ranma were getting along and would have leapt over the table to hug both of them in joy except for worrying about the potential demise of his youngest daughter.  
  
"Come on, Ranma, I want to talk to you on the way to school." Nabiki got up off her seat-pillow and glared briefly at Akane (who didn't notice) and her father (who *did* notice and stopped his rush forward to begin pushing for immediate marriage.)  
  
Kasumi merely began cleaning up and wondered if last night's talk had been remembered by Nabiki. She also handed Ranma the carrycase. Considering the Hulk had shown up yesterday, it wasn't that hard to believe that the shield might be required.  
  
------------  
  
"So what did you want to talk to me about, Nabiki?" Ranma put his hands behind his head and stretched. It was odd, this calm that was his usual modus operandi since falling in Jusenkyo. Still it was kind of nice, he seemed to be able to avoid some problems that way.  
  
Nabiki scowled. Kasumi had spoken long about personal honor and duty last night. She'd never actually come out and said it, but it was obvious to Nabiki that Kasumi had somehow found out about the pictures. "Ranma, about our relationship..."  
  
Ranma was silent as they walked along for a few minutes, then glanced down. "What about it?"  
  
"What do you think about this engagement?"  
  
"It's a matter of family honor, according to Oyaji. I'm still not sure about how accurate that is." Ranma shrugged and let his arms drop down, still carrying the artist's attache and his backpack.  
  
Nabiki went from frowning to scowling. This was not how she wanted this conversation to go. Unfortunately she wasn't entirely sure *how* she wanted this conversation to go. How to phrase whether or not he even considered her seriously as a fiancee. Did he want this engagement or not? "Ranma... do you think I'm cute?" Nabiki blinked, wondering where *that* had come from.  
  
Ranma considered. "Sometimes."  
  
"What?!" Nabiki went from startled back to frowning. "What does that mean?"  
  
"Well, when you're being nice, you can be pretty cute," said Ranma, trying to analyze it himself.  
  
Nabiki let out a deep breath that she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. "So, do you even know what being a fiance entails..."  
  
"Sempai!" Ryonami came running up. "Regarding our newest business deal?"  
  
"Excuse me, Ranma, business stuff," said Nabiki, dismissing the question of big blonde hunks and arranged marriages for the moment.  
  
Ranma shrugged and leapt over the wall. Fine, he knew when he wasn't wanted.  
  
"Okay, spill it, Ryonami." Nabiki turned a cold eye towards her flunkie.  
  
"The naked pictures of Ranma aren't selling that well..."  
  
"I know that." Nabiki said impatiently.   
  
Ryonami took a deep breath. "Anyway, Kujaku's been by."  
  
Nabiki winced heavily. Doing business as usual whenever the Yakuza were present was not a good deal. Yes, he was a prissy little effeminate with pretensions of nobility. However he was also Yakuza and they did *not* like competition. "Fine. He saw them?"  
  
"Yeah, he, uhm, saw the pictures." Ryonami fidgeted. "He, uh, kinda wanted a cut of the proceeds since it was in his territory."  
  
Nabiki let out a deep breath. "Fine. It's not like we're talking a lot of money here."  
  
"Yeah," Ryonami was immediately relieved. "You know I don't like dealing with them."  
  
"Get used to it if you want to keep gambling," advised Nabiki walking past her flunkie and entering Furinkan's front gate. "It's a nasty world out there and..."  
  
Leaning up against the wall, Ranma handed Nabiki her lunch and walked off without a single glance at her.  
  
"Uhm, sempai?"  
  
"Ryonami, get me some aspirin would you? I feel a headache coming on."  
  
---------  
  
Ranma sat at his desk and ignored the usual whisperings. He'd been willing to go along with this on the basis of honor.  
  
Well, he'd just been dishonored by his fiancee.  
  
He considered it a fairly serious breach, and all the talk this morning had just been laid bare as just that - talk. Clearly this engagement was untenable and he'd have to switch to one of the other sisters.   
  
Akane? No, he was going to be her sensei and clearly that made any sort of relationship a wrong move.   
  
Kasumi? He hadn't thought she'd be interested but she *had* spent all that time watching him yesterday. Though wasn't there something Akane had said about someone interested in Kasumi? He'd have to ask about that.  
  
Ranma's hand caught a piece of chalk on course for his forehead and idly tossed it back to the teacher. Looked like he'd run out of time to ponder in class.  
  
------  
  
Ryouga got his best pondering time done while school was in session.  
  
This was Japan so senior high school was *not* mandatory. There were a lot of Mom & Pop businesses that required the child to work and those children often did not go through senior high. Ryouga had somehow managed to get through Junior High (aka Middle School) but Senior High had never been a priority.  
  
Stuck in an impenetrable wilderness (a stand of trees not far from a Tokyo golf course) Ryouga put a kettle on the fire in preparation for a nice cup of tea.  
  
His search for Ranma Saotome had hit a wall. If that last guy *had* been Ranma, then he had finished the feud. Otherwise Ranma had gone to Jusenkyo and never returned.  
  
Ryouga looked at his reflection in the copper pot. "It not easy being green." He wasn't sure who had said that but obviously they'd known darn well.  
  
Changing back had been easy a few times but seemed to have a certain calmness needed. His stomach was upset, and so he hadn't changed back. Of course, that's why he was fixing the tea.  
  
The image in the kettle essayed a weak grin. Heck, if he met up with Ranma now, how would Saotome even recognize him? He was tall and green and mean after Jusenkyo.  
  
...after Jusenkyo.  
  
Waitaminute.  
  
Ryouga calmed as this took extra concentration, triggering his transformation back to human.   
  
After Jusenkyo? After Jusenkyo maybe RANMA didn't look like Ranma. There was the one whose butt he'd kicked, but then there had been that *other* Ranma. The blond guy.  
  
Ryouga switched back to the Hulk as anger began to flame within him. That gaijin Ranma had tricked him! He would hunt him down and crush the little cheat!  
  
After tea of course. His stomach was still upset.  
  
-------  
  
Making her way to a tree for lunch, Nabiki let her flunkies handle business this time.  
  
Nabiki grumbled. Stupid Yakuza. Stupid fiance. Stupid Akane. Nobody had any clue. Had to eat lunch by herself. Well at least she had her business.  
  
"500 yen on this breaking up Nabiki and her fiance!"  
  
"1000 yen on her being disowned by her family!"  
  
"200 yen that her father requires her to commit seppuku."  
  
"500 yen that Nabiki Tendo ends up being that Yakuza guy's playtoy."  
  
Nabiki glared at Ryonami taking bets on her boss' misery like this. She was so proud of her protege.   
  
The middle Tendo knew all she'd need to do was say a couple of things, fake a couple of tears, and this would all blow over.  
  
-------  
  
"So what is going on between Ranma and Nabiki?" Akane was curious. Actually she was more than curious, a few comments from Yuka and Sayuri, and a look at the brooding upset Ranma had been getting her curiosity going for quite some time.  
  
Yuka handed her a booklet after looking around to make sure that nobody was nearby.  
  
Akane was puzzled until she flipped it open. "What the?! That pervert!"  
  
"Well, she *is* your sister, Akane," said Sayuri.  
  
"Huh?" Akane blinked, confused.  
  
"Nabiki took those pictures without Ranma knowing. It's all over the school, Akane."  
  
"Oh?" Akane puzzled over this. Well, it was Nabiki so maybe it was a money thing.  
  
Sayuri decided to spell it out as Akane clearly didn't get it. "Nabiki dishonored her fiance by selling naked pictures of him all over the school, apparently because he was spending too much time with you."  
  
Akane blinked some more. "But... he's my sensei. Why wouldn't he spend time with me?"  
  
"Uh oh, here comes you-know-who." Yuka nudged Sayuri, looking past Akane.  
  
Ranma walked up to Akane. "Akane, I need to ask you some questions."  
  
"I'm your student, it wouldn't be proper," responded Akane.  
  
"Huh?" Now it was Ranma's turn to blink a lot. "No! About Kasumi."  
  
"Kasumi's already got someone," replied Akane.  
  
"Doctor Tofu," said Sayuri with a giggle.  
  
Ranma and Akane just looked at the two for a moment.  
  
"Oh, right, come on, my friend, let's get a couple of bets in," said Yuka as she guided her friend away.  
  
"You're out, Kasumi's out, Nabiki has just disqualified herself." Ranma shrugged. "Looks like training you is the only reason to stay on."  
  
"You're not exactly upset," noted Akane.  
  
"Oh, I *am* upset. My fiancee has sold nude pictures of me around the school at least. Who knows how far these have gotten."  
  
=========  
  
And this is as far as i'm going to go with this.  
  
The idea of Akane being a sidekick superhero-in-training, eventually becoming a hero herself, was just something i'd considered.  
  
Nabiki having to overcome her own bad habits and grow as a person?  
  
However there are too many parallels with DB Sommers' "Avenging" (though with that story's blatantly pro-Akane bias there would be some divergences) for me to really consider continuing this. If i go back and do the "Ranma superhero" - i'd be more likely to explore the possibilities from a DC or Image (or Antarctic) crossover route. 


End file.
